Sunday, 2 July 2017

Organisms in my Garden - Wolf spider

Organisms in my Garden - Wolf spider spp.

Location

I found it sitting on a white flower, probably waiting for a big juicy bee to come by.

What is it?

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae. They are robust hunters with excellent eyesight.

They normally live and hunt alone. They will bounce on their prey and sometimes even chase them.

Wolf spiders carry their eggs in sacks, that are carried on their backs. The spiders are normally around 10-35 mm in length. They have eight eyes arranged in three rows. They will inject venom if harassed. if you get bitten with venom the symptoms will include: swelling, mild pain and itching. BUT it depends on what type of wolf spider. Most the species are completely harmless.

What do they eat?

In the wild, a wolf spider will eat almost any prey smaller than himself that comes nearby.